Electromagnetic transmission apparatus.



V. A. FYNN. ELECTROMAGNETIC TRANSMISSION APPARATUS. APrucArlou men MAY 9. Isls.

INVENTUH @MMV Tron/ver V. A. FYNN.

ELECTROMAGNEUC 1R/111511115511111 MMR/1111s.

APPUCATION FILED MAY?. 1511.

3 SHEETS--SHEET 2.

.4 TTORNEY V. A. FYNN.

ELECTRUMAGNETIC TRANSMISSION APPARATUS.

APPLICATION man MAY s, 1916.

Patented Nov. 12, 1918',

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

WITNESS l/Il VE N TOI? A TTU/NVE Y meer wit act as dynamo electric couplings on direct STATES PATENT OFFICE..

VALBE A. FYNN, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO WAGNER ELECTRIC MANU- FACTURING COMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OF MISSOURI.

. ELEGTBOMAGNETIC TRANSMISSION nrranarus.

specification of Leners raient.' Y.lz-,Ligeni-,ed Nov, 12,1913,

Application led Bay 9, 1916. Serial No. 946,284.

subject of the King of 4 England, residing at the city of St.' Louis, State of Missouri, i;` United States of America, have invented a certain` new and, useful 'Electromagnetic Transmission `Al'iparatus of 'which the following issuch a full,cl,ear, andexact description as will enable any one skilled in theart to,which it apperta-ins to make and use the same, reference being had to the ac-` anying drawings, forming part of this` comp speelfication.

My invention relates to electromagnetic mechanism by means of which the power delivered by a prime mover can' be eiliciently transmitted to a driven member at different speed and torque factors inde endently of the speedand torque at vvhicli` the` prime ,mover delivers its energy. It relates articularly to that type of apparatus in w ich two dynamo electric machines are made useV of both elements of which Aare rotatable.

In all rior arrangements of .abovechar- Iwhich I 'am acquainted, gearing otlpne sort'or another formed part ofthe apparatus, beinglocated between 'the en e an the' two members driven thereby-an be tween the driven shaft and the tvvo members driving same, or between the two members driving the .driven shaft.. In all these schemes the elements of said gearing are always in motion, even whenthe electromagnetlc ap aratus is transmitting powerat 35 ractical y the same speed at which it is deivered by the primemover. This condition is often objectionable fin the case of .automobiles, as gear wheels are likely to produce noise. l

One of the objects of my invention is to do away with the possibility of. noise under direct drive conditions. by excluding all relative motion between the gear wheels.

In all the electromagnetic transmission apparatus known to me, which comprise Vtwo or more dynamoelectric machines, only one of these can be utilized as a dynamo electric coupling on direct drive, the other bei ng idle 4 on the part of the electromagnet. ThisV part 'of the mechanism is shown on a larger scale at such times or put to some auxiliary use for instance as charging the startin and lighting battery, lwhich does not utilize `its capacity to anything like the full extent.

Another object of my invention is to make eiiicient use of the apparatus as a whole by causing both dynamo electric machines to drive, instead of utilizing only one of'tbem for this purpose. The we i ht of the whole outfit 1s thereby reduced an its eiliciency increased.4

Other objects and .advantages of my .invention will be apparent from the following description andthe 'accom anying diagrammatic drawings, in which igure 1 'shows the mechanical features of my` invention as applied to one form of electric transmission apparatus; Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of part of the mechanism together with one wayof makingthe necessary electrical'connections; and ig. 3 showsa completeV controlling scheme as applied to the device illustrated 1n Fig. l.

Referrin more dparticularly to Fig. 1, the.

shaft 3 of t e prime mover 2 carries the two 'armatures 9, 10 sof the two dynamo electric machines4 formingpart of my improved transmission. These armatures are keyed to the shaft 3. Centered on this shaft by means of the bearings 40 and 46 is a field structure t 12 carrying field winding 14 adapted tocooperate with the armature 9. Another like field structure 11 is centered on the shaft 3, at' 39 and 44, and carries field winding: 13, coperating with the armature 10. To each of 'these field structures is attached a bevelwheel, as shown at 4 and 5. These bevelwheelscoperate with 'the bevel pinions 6,-

the Shanks 7 of which are held, in suitable bearings located in the rings 47 and 90. The ring 90 forms one-race of a ball bearing 50, the other race 89 of which is keyed to the shaft 3. The brake shoes 48, 29, coacting with the ring 47, are held by scissors-like arms 51, 52, controlled by a spring 53 and an' electromagnet 54. The spring tends to hold the brake shoes 48, 49 o leaving it and the pinion 6 free to revolve on the bearing 50. The Aelectromagnet 54 tends i to press the brake shoes 48, 49 into contact with the ring 4T ,and thus hold same in lace. Radial grooves ma be cut in the si es of the ring 47 into which the brake shoes 48, 49 will slip, and thus hold same against further rotation more securelyand with less eii'ort -wheels 16 and 17 4through the dii'erential 18.

the ring 4T, thus` The brushes 28, '29, cooperating with the commutator for the armature 9, are supported on the field structure 12 and revolve therewith. The brushes 30, 31, cooperating with the commutator for the armature 10. are supported by the field structure 11 and revolve with same. Because both elements of each of the dynamo electric machines are rotatable, sliprings :'24, :25, :26 2T, are provided on field structure 12, and slips 20 21, '22. 23, on field structure 11` so as to allow of electrical accessto the armatures as well as to the field coils.

Fig. 2 shoxvs one way of making the necessary electrical connections. The two armatures 9, 10, which are directly connected to the prime mover and are always driven in a clockwise direction as seen from the engineend, are permanently connected in circuit with each other. Their respective field windin 14, 13, are adapted to be So connected in circuit rwitha. Vstorage battery 38 as to cause the EJ'M. Fs generated in the armal'ture circuit to oppose each other. VThe current` sent' into 14 can be regulated by means of the adjustable resistance 36, and that sent into 13, by means of the adjustable resistance 37,.v 'ithin this exciting circuit is located a' resistance 57 controlled by the switch 66, by means of which the current in 'both field windings can be simultaneously increased or decreased. Another resistance (iL- controlled by the `switch 63, is similarly located, but the switch lever 63 not only varies the resistance 64 but is also adapted to make or break theignition circuit of the prime mover, which, in the case of automobiles, is almost always an internal combustion engine. -This ignition circuit, which is fed fromy the storage battery,38, comprises the cani-controlled interrupter 60, the igni- .tioncoil tif, and the spark gap or gaps 6'2. The circuit ofthe electromagnet 5e, which is fed by the storage battery 38, is controlled by the switch 45,which is also adapted to short circuit each of the armatures 9 and 10, or to insertV the resistance 82 in each of the armature circuits. The storage battery 38 can be connected to asource of current 86 from which the .storage battery can be charged. In practice this source may take the forni of a suitably controlled or suitably designed dynamo electric generator havin a shaft V85 driven by the prime mover. il ien the prime mover is an internal coinbustion engine, then an electric motor 83 will be provided, asis now usual, for the urpose of cranking the engine by means o the shaft 84, the energy required by the motor ffor this purpose` beingy derived from Vthe to beidentical, switches lo, 66, G3, can he in their ott positions and the exciting circuits can also be interrupted at the resistanccs 3G and 37. Or, switch 45 may stand on point 5G. switch G6 may be placed so as to include the resistance 57 in the battery circuit, and the switches controlling the resistances 36 and 37 so placed as to make the current in the two exciting windings 13, 14, equal as soon as the exciting circuit is closed. In either case it is necessarv in order to start the engine, to close .switch 63, and it is better,- although not necessary, to cut out all the resistance G4 in so doing. This action closes the ignition circuit. The engine may now be started by means of the starting motor 83, and the latter can be disconnected as soon as the engine begins to fire. -With the engine running within its operating range of speed, the charging generator 86 it drives will be in a position to charge the battery 38. `With the engine running in a4 clockwise direction, there will be relative Imovement between the armatures 9, 10, and

their respective field structures 1'2, 11. If the exciting circuits are interrupted atl the resistances 30, 3T. nothing will,4 of course,

happen, because there will be no` current within the armature circuit. No1" will' u" current appear within the armature circuit if the switches cooperating withthe resist-v ances 3G and 3T aie so placed as to make the' excitation of 13 equal to that of 1-1, for then i the armatures will be generating equal and opposite E. M. Fs. The apparatus'can,'

this-has not been previously done. Under these conditions .the fields 13 and 1-1 will be at their maximum strength. and the electromagnet 5l will be fully excited, thus holding the ringr 4T and the pinions 6 journaled therein, stationary, without however preventing said pnions from revolvin on their axes 7. If it be desired to start tiieweliicle in the one or the other direction with a powerful torque and at slow speed, it is necessary to reduce the field strength of-one of the dynamo electric machines with respect.' to' that ot' the other. the'direction of rotaA tion depending on whichY field strength,4 is reduceth lf the current in winding 13` is weakened, then the driven shaft will rotate in counter-clockwise direction, `driving the.,

car say backward. If' the current' through 1l is weakened. then the driven shaftwillf rotate in a clockwise directionfdrivlngf the car forward. The maximum speed'of'rotation in either direction will be 'reached when the excitation of one of the field structures is reduced to z ero. j f 1 Supposethat the vehicle isrunning forward and the e. "non of 14 is reduced to zero, then the field structure 11 will. be revolvmgv at nearlythc same speed as the armature 10, 4slipping just enough to send '5 that current through the resistance of the armature circuit which will enable the apparatus to overcome the resistance of the driven s haft. At-ths time the field structure 12 1s inactive, but is driven in a counter-clockwise4 direction by the element 11' throughthe gear wheels 4 and 5 and the pmlons 6. T e speed of 1 2 is the same as Athospeed of 11, but it revolves in the oppo site direction, so that while the ,relative "15 speedbetween l10 and 11 is almost-ml, that ratus and the speed of the vehicle. But the `interruption of the circuit ofthe electromagnet 54 placesspring 53in control ofthe brakeshoes 48, v49, and releases th'e rng'47.

thusallowingthe pinions 6 to revolve about the axis 3.4 The nextl step is 4to slightly excite the -field structure 12 by again Vclosing 4the circuit of I4 over sufliciently' high resistances. This will-cause' the armature il and theield 12 to coperateas-a short circuitedgenerator` with the .-result that-,the speed of v12 will be rapidly reduced and its direction of rotation reversed. As the eirci- `tation o-14 isA increased, sc ,willthe speed 4o of 12 increase, ina clockwisedir'ection. and

when it is 4 made-equalfto the',egcitation of 13' both machines will` bel .acting 'as' id vnamo l electric couplings, the torques ofboth field structures f'belng .in a'clockwise direction., 'It will .be observed v that` when the bevel wheels 4 and Y5.4b0th` vexert a clockwise or both lexert a.,counterclockwse torque of equal magniture. this f ct alone' locks'the pinions 6.V and these tin merely act as 5o mechanical couplings b ween the two field structures.' In this wayrelative motnnfbetwetnv the teeth of the bevel wheels is elimi- "nat'ed andall noisedue to this causeJisthns prevented. Furthermore. the 'whole of the apparatus is fully` utilized,l because both dynamo 4electric machines do dutyv 'as couplingseach transmitting about one-half of the yengine torque to the driven shaft. l

When both dynamo electrc machines are 4made Vuse of as couplings, itlwill often be desirable, for instance whenrunning the ear through dense traffic. to'momenta-rily reduce the speed of the vehicle'bv slipping 'the clitch. [This can be readily achievedby 65, simultaneously reducing the excitation ofl` plates c7. es, es, 7o, 71, 72, 73, and noperate with thestationary Contactl fingers, 110

both dynamo electric machines, thus incl-eas# ing the slip between the armatures and the coperating field magnets, and hence reducing the speed of the drii'en shaft with respect to that of the driving shaft. A simi- 7o lar effect can be produced by inserting resistance -into each armature circuit, as shown at 82 in Eig. 2, and without changing the field excitation of the two machines.

VIt, has been previously ,stated that the 75 Vtransmission is inactive, 'either when the excitation of the two field structures is 'm7, or when 4they are equally excited. lf the off position is to provide for equal excitation, in which case it can be referred to as the neutral position, then, for the pur-v poses of economy, it is better to reduce this excitation to a'small amount. For this reason I hare provided the resistance 57. andA I refer to also include-the whole of the 85 resistances" 36 and 37. Since thezinterruption. of ai shunt circuit always produces a more or less vicious spark, itlwill, no doubt, beV preferable in most cases to so arrange the dil position that the' excitations of the 90 two units are equal and not to make usefof an oii' position in which the exciting cir- 'cuit is'interrupted. TheY purpose; ofthc resistance 64 is to interuptthe exciting-loir;- cuit under the best possible conditions when the engine is to be'stopped. To this end ,the resistance 64 is given a'hgh valueyand the switch 63 should not occupy any-intermef diate position. 1t is either to be placed 1n.

the oli position, in which thev exciting as 10Q i well as the ignition circuit is interrupted, or im'the on position. in which the :ignition circuit is closed and the resistance 464.15 all cut outof the excitingcrcuit. 4,

In Fig. 3 is` shown a controller suitable.y for 105 carrying out the operations justgdescribed A in their proper ssequence., The rotatable drum of this controller carries the` contact 45, 55. 56 and 74 to S2. thevariousfpositions of these fingers relatively to the contact plates being indicated b v dotted lines F, to Fa, N, O` N1, R, Iand R.; This, controllerhasan oli position Ofnwhich all'theexciting 115 circuits are interruptetl.-.-lij`it be desired to i, substitute .whatlinay befcalled a vne1'i tral position .that is one in which the fields 13 and 14 are equally excited. then the O position and one of theLN positions can be eliminated 120` and the controller simplifiedxto that extend,1V

jIt 'the controller is'moved from the pp`si` 'tion'O into position N, then thepositiveole Vbe of the battery' connected t'o ngers 56wi connected by means oflthe plate 71 andthe-125 contact fingers 7 6, 77 to the ends of the tnlgtzit- -ing windings 14 and 13.-through the lances 36 'and 37. Wit-l1 the ignitionswitch closed, as 'it wll'be when the engine 1s running, the negative pole ofthe batterywillfat 4of the exciting resistance 5,7, y means ofthe contact ngers 80,81 and the contact plate 72, 'l-liecircuit of theI electromagnet 54 will simultaneously l e be closed at the oints 45, 56, b'y means of the plate 78.'

n f the controller be now moved to the position R,,-then the resistance 57 will :be cut out of the exciting circuit by means o'f the plate'72, all of the resistance 36 inthe exciting circult.y 14 will be short circuited, whiley only 'part of the-resistance in .the exciti'n circuit 1 3 is cut out by the co'ntact plate 1. ,This unequal excitation will .causea counterfclockwis'e rotation of the driven shaft 15 and a backward motion of the vehicle. Movin the controller to the positionR, will fu er 'decrease' the' excitation of 1,3,A thus increasing the speed of the backward motion of the vehicle.

. If on the `other hand the controller is moved in the opposite direction, to the position N, no motion will result, because the organization of circuits in the position N is identical with that prevailing in position N1. But if thecontroller be moved to the position Fi, then theristance 57 is cut out of the exciting circuit by means of the plate 68, the whole of the resistance 37 is short circuited,

3o 'thusmaking theexcitation of 13 a maximum while a art of the resistance 36 is left in circuit wit the windin 14 thus weakenin the excitation'of 14'wi respect to that o 13. This condition results in a forward motion of the vehicle, and this forward motion is accelerated when the controller is placed in the osition F for the reason that the excita ion of 14 is still further reduced thereby.4

When the controller is moved to position F3,

the excitation of 14 is entirely interrupted at` the contact finger 76, the circuit ofthe electromagnet 54 is simultaneously interru ted at the point and the armatures 9 an 10 are individually short circuited at the points 45 and 55 by means of the contact plate 69.' ',The demagnetization of the electromagnet 54 releases the bevel wheel 6 as will be remembered, so that when theconposition F, and the winding 14 is again llghtly excited, the spoed of rotation of the field structure 12 1s `irstreduced and then its direction of rotation is reversed, when it begins to operate asga dynamo electric coupling, in the same manner in which the other dynamo electric machine isoperating. B v placingr the controller in the position F5, the field structure 12 becomesfully excited and both dynamo electricf machines contribute to the propul- -sion of the vehicle to the same degree.

This position; corresponds to the direct drive"7 e o 1n an automobile of ordinary construction. Should 1t non' be desired to moments r1l m- 4 'crease the slip between the armatures and theV corresponding field structures, thus re-V ducng the speed of the driven shaftas comthe controller mayv be placed in position F., in which the excitation of both machines is reduced b the same amount.'

While have indicated very few 4subdivisions' of the various regulating resistances, it

will be well understood that in' practice a greater number of such subdivisions will be used so as to make the change of s eedvto be obtained by the movement of tie controller, more gradual. This increase in the number of contacts does not in any way aliect the principle illustrated in Fig. 3, in which the number of contacts has been kept down to a minimum for the sake of clearness.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent/ofthe United States is:

1. In an apparatus for the character described, the combination of a prime mover, a driven shaft, two dynamo electric machincs both members of each machine being rotatable, one member of each machine being connected to the prime mover and the other members of said machines being-mechanically connected together andl to the driven shaft., said .connecting means com prising a pinion journaled in a movable bearing, and means for holding said bear ing stationary. p

:2. In an apparatus of the character describech the combination of a prime mover, a driven shaft, two dynamo electric ma'- c-hines, both members of each machine being rotatable, one member of each machine other members of said machines being me' chanically connected together and to the driven shaft, said connecting means comprising a pinion journaled in a movable bearing, and electromagnetically controlled means for holding sald bearing stationary.

8. In an apparatus of the character described, the Vcombination of a prime mover, a driven shaft, two dynamo electric machines, both members of each machine being rotatable,A one member of each machine being connected to the prime mover and the other members of said machines being mechanically connected together and to the driven shaft, said connectn prisi'ng a pinion journaled 1n a movable bearing. and. means for holding saidV bearing stationary, said means being normally in inoperative position.

4. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a prime mover, a driven shaft, two dynamo electric machines. both 'members of each machine being` rotatable, one member of eachmacbine be- -ing connected to the prime mover and the connected together, said connecting means comprisinga pinion, and a revoluble bearing for said pinion, said bearing being mounted on the engine driven shaft.

6. In an ,apparatus of' the character described, the combination of a prime mover, a driven shaft, two dynamo electric niachines, both members of each machine being rotatable, onemember of each machine bein connected to the prime mover and the .Ot er members of said machines being inechanicall connected. together and to the driven s aft, said connecting means comrising a pinion journaled a movable caring, means for holding said bearing stationary, and a controller for operating said holding means.

7. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a prime mover, a driven shaft, two dynamo electric machines both members of each machine being rotatable, one member of each `machine bein connected to the prime' mover and the ot er members of said machines being mechanicall connected together and to the driven s aft, said connecting means comrising a pinion journaled .1n a movable caring, means for holding said bearing stationary, and a controller for varying the relative torques per ampere of said machines and 'for operating the holding means.

8. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a prime mover, a driven'shat, two dynamo `electric machines both members of each machine `being rotatable, one member of each machine being connected to the rime mover and the other members of sai machines being connected to the driven shaft, connections whereby one of said machines may supply electrical energy to the other, and a controller for successively varying the relative.

excitations of said machines, short circuiting their armatures, and again varying the i relative excitations.

9. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination ci a prime mover, a driven shaft, two dynamo electric machines `both members of each machine being rotatable, one member of each machine bein connected to the prime mover and the vot er members of `said machines being conot er members of sai nected to the driven shaft, connections electrical energy tothe other, and a controller adapted to successively reduce the excitation of one machine, short circuit the armatures of both machines and then increase the' excitation of said last mentioned machine. A

10. In an appaiatusof the character described, the combination of a prime mover, a driven shaft, two dynamo electric machines,- both members of each machine being rotatable, one member of each machine being connected to the prime mover and the other members of said machines being connected to the driven shaft, and means for causing both machines to simultaneously act as generators and transmit torque to the driven shaft.

11. In an apparatus of/the character described, the combination of a .prime mover, a driven shaft, two dynamo electric machines, both members of each being rotatable, one member of each machine being connected to the prime mover to rotate in the same direction, and the other members of said machinesbeing connected to the driven shaft and to rotate in oppositedirections and means for causing said last named members to rotate inthe same direction.

12. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a prime mover, a. driven shaft, two dynamo electric machines, both members of each'machine being rotatable, one member of each machine being connected to the rime mover and the other members of sai machines being co'nnected to the driven shaft, and a controller for establishing connections to cause the E. M. F. generated in either machine to exceed that generated in the other and to cause both members to simultaneously act as generators to transmit torque to the driven' shaft. 4

13. In an apparatusof the character described, the combination of a prime mover, a driven shaft, two dynamo electric machines for transmitting power from the prime mover to the driven shaft, both members "of each machine being rotatable, the mem'- bers of one machine being adapted to rotate in the same direction and the members of the other to rotate in opposite directions, and means for causing the memberb of the last named machine to rotate in the saine direction.

14. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a prime mover,

'a driven shaft, two dynamo electric nia-4 chines, both members of each machine being rotatable, one member of each machine bein connected to the rime mover and the machines being connected to the driven shaft, and a controller adapted when in one position to establish connections whereb the E. M. F. generated by one machine wili'be equal to the E. M. F. generated by the other, to establish connections whereby the E. M. F. generated in one machine will exceed that generated in the other when the controller 1s moved in one direction from said first named position, to establish connections whereby the 10', E. M. F. generated by the first mentioned Oopicl of this patent may be obtained for ave cents each, by addressing' the machine-will be less than that generated in the other when the controller 1s moved i-n the opposite direction, to short circuit both machines, and to vary the E. M. F. generated by one machine while maintaining the short circuit connection.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and ailixed my seal.

VALRE A. FYNN. [es] Washington, D. 0,

Commissioner o! Patenti, 

